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This New Year's I wanted to share a makeup tutorial on the blog! This look would go perfect with a black or gold sequin dress.

Products used:

Cocoa Contour by Too Faced

Naked Palette by Urban Decay (Virgin, Sin, Sidecar, and Creep)

Stila Stay All Day Black Liquid Eyeliner

Lipstick: Heat Wave by NYX

Check out the full makeup look + tutorial below!

Steps:

I already had my foundation applied, so I went right into the next step by adding contour with the medium shade in the Cocoa Contour palette by Too Faced. If you would like to know more about the foundation I use, and how to apply it, see this post here.

I put the contour in the hollows of my cheeks, below my jaw line, and slightly on the sides of my forehead, and sides of my nose to create definition and an illusion of a smaller, more narrow face.

Then, I used the shade "Virgin" in the Naked palette as my base eyeshadow. I patted this all over my eye lid. Next, I took the shade "Sin" and swept this from the inner corner of my eye, to about halfway across my eyelid. This shade gave lots of gold shimmer! Then, I took "Sidecar" to add more definition and put this on the outer corner, as well as the crease, blending it with "Sin". Lastly, I took "Creep" and brushed that in the outer corner and blended it into the crease.

I then added a small cat eye detail with some black liquid liner. I created this by using a steady hand to outline my shape, and then fill it in. (See video at 1:37).

The last step was to apply the classic red lip. This is a fiery bright red shade from NYX, that is super soft and silky feeling on your lips.

It feels good to be back in my home town for Christmas, spending it with my family and taking some time to relax. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas day yesterday, because I know I did xx

I wore this black turtleneck sweater dress to our family Christmas get together dinner. I added some knee high socks with booties as well, and wore a dark red lip to keep it festive. It was so warm out (and no snow) I didn't even need a jacket!! What an odd winter we have been having.

I have been obsessed with Too Faced Cosmetics for a while now, so when I saw their Paris inspired gift sets - I knew I wanted one! I had first seen them featured on Stephanie Sterjovski's gift guide, so read about them here.

Christmas is quickly approaching and it is that time of the year when I feel the need to get super festive and decorate a bit. I picked up a few things, and also brought some things from home, to Toronto to get cozy for Christmas in my apartment! See all the items I used to style it (and how) below.

Cute Winter Mugs:

I love this detailed blue mug with my "M" initial on it. I got this as a gift a few Christmases ago, and I absolutely love it! Cuddling up with a great cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate is a great way to relax this holiday season.

Snowflake Decorations:

I got some little decoration items to put up such as these snowflakes. They are holographic/silver and are easily stuck up with a small piece of tape on my windows across the room. They are so pretty!

I also got some other items such as sequin ornaments, a huge gold bow, and other tiny decorative bows that have been placed around my space, that were not photographed.

Faux Fur Throws:

I usually have this faux fur throw on my bed no matter the season, but I especially appreciate it now a days, because it's super cozy! It adds a comfortable feel to the room/couch, and is perfect for cuddling up with while doing homework, or on my laptop. Some Netflix watching is also a great thing to do while laying around with this decorative throw.

Decorating the Coffee Table:

I switched up a few items on my coffee table /stand this season such as swapping my pink bubblegum candle, for this wintery snow one. I also put out this blue initial mug that reminds me of winter, and I put a fall/winter style magazine at the top of my pile of books in the corner. Little things like this can add to your holiday space and definitely make it more cozy for Christmas!

A Winter Scent:

This candle smells so much like winter and snow. It is a super fresh scent and is a beautiful blue colour. It reminds me of not only Christmas, but also winter in general and that's great because even when the holidays are over, I can still keep in burning - instead of putting it away for the year.

Ornaments:

I love decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments but also decorating with them in an unconventional way is pretty too. I picked up these adorable small gold ones and have out them all over the place - hanging them off of door knobs cupboard doors, drawer handles, and also put some inside a glass dish with flowers in it (see photo below).

Pets can get festive too!

My cat Olivia is an adorable companion to have around, and it felt fitting that she fits in with my apartment decor. I picked out this sweet little number for her so she can wear it once and a while. It has a cute winter print with pom-poms by the neck, and is pink and white, with hints of blue. The perfect colour combo!

Mini Christmas Tree:

The image at the top of this post is of the tiny little white (and sparkly) Christmas tree I have sitting on a dresser in my apartment. I strung pink lights around it and kept to the girly Christmas theme. This brings the whole festive look together and sure brightens up the holiday spirit in my apartment!

I have also been playing a lot of Christmas music around the apartment to get into the holiday spirit. It ties together the sights and smells when you have something to listen too as well. I have compiled my top favourite Christmas tracks together below!

Kaia Naturals is an all natural beauty brand from Toronto, Ontario. They specialize in cleansing cloths that tone, clean, and remove makeup! The brand is also cruelty free, so they do not test their products on animals. They are also great for the environment, and are biodegradable and non-toxic.

I was able to try out their popular Juicy Bamboo cloths, and I loved them! From the packaging, to the scent and the cleansing properties - they sure are worth the hype.

They smell like citrus + honey and are give you a great feeling while using them at the end of your day. They leave you with that tingly clean feeling! They remove most makeup and even eye makeup!

Whether we like it or not, snow is bound to be on its way sooner or later this winter. So, bundle up with the best winter wear while still pulling off a great, casual look. I wore this black parka (that is oh so toasty, and a great fit) with some big sunglasses, my classic hot pink lipstick, and some winter boots that can be worn with almost any outfit of mine this season. I am so prepared for winter this year, yet we haven't had barely any snow on the ground. I am not necessarily looking forward to the colder weather - but I have my stylish winter wear pieces for when the storms hit!

Last night a couple of friends and I went to see the Andy Warhol Revisited exhibit on Bloor Street in Toronto. It was such a cool and "cultured" experience that definitely deserved some photos to be taken. There were lots of brightly coloured art works that were exciting to look at. I love doing fun things like this in Toronto with the friends that I have met here!